Welcome to Nutrition Bites. The no nonsense podcast where you get the truth about food so you can eat what you want, and be healthy. I’m your host Maggie and welcome to the series. Supplement trends are a dime a dozen these days, and the latest powder to make a name for itself promises youthful skin, injury recovery, and better bones. On the menu today, collagen.
In the final year of my undergraduate studies I worked on a clinical trial about soy protein. Think of it like an internship of sorts. Which meant that most of my tasks were fairly boring - filing, copying, data entry, you know the drill. But one of the jobs I found particularly interesting was participant recruitment. Convincing strangers to take part in any initiative, be it a charitable fundraiser, social event or research project, is a great way to meet people from all walks of life. Including some very special characters. As part of this soy study protocol, we had to conduct in person interviews with potential subjects. One day I was set to interview this older gentleman, but little did I know that he wasn’t interested in soy whatsoever. What he really wanted to talk about, was collagen. For 45 minutes I was politely forced into a conversation about how our society’s love for chicken wings was due to a lack of collagen in our diets. No matter how many times I tried to get back to the purpose of the interview, he somehow circled back to jell-o and fish skin. It was definitely memorable.
Thankfully, for the better part of a decade, collagen hasn’t popped up in many of my conversations, but it’s been recently gaining traction in the health and wellness industry thanks to its ties to skincare. Promises of a boost of collagen range from vanity-driven improvements like wrinkle-free skin, longer nails, and shinier hair, and also more internal changes like joint protection, gut healing, and improved brain health. Because of the wide-range of potential benefits, collagen-containing products are routinely sold by social media skin experts, fitness influencers, goop-style “clean” eating circles, as well as the keto and paleo communities. But what do the more qualified experts have to say? It’s time to find out.
As usual, let’s start with the basics - what is collagen? Collagen is a type of protein. In fact, it is the most abundant protein in our body. Its fibrous-like shape helps to provide structure, strength and elasticity, which is why it is the main component of connective tissues like tendons, ligaments and skin. You can think of it as the substance that holds the body together. In fact, the word collagen is Greek meaning “glue producing”.
There are many different types of collagen - categorized based on their unique structure and function. The most popular is Type 1 collagen which is found in our skin, bone, teeth, tendons and ligaments. Other types of collagen are present in our cartilage, muscle, blood vessels, placenta, and many other places in our body. Like all proteins, collagen is made up of a specific chain of amino acids. What makes collagen unique though is that it has a particularly high content of one amino acid called hydroxyproline which isn’t really found in other proteins. Collagen also is missing one of the nine essential amino acids, so it’s often regarded as an inferior dietary protein - aka you don’t eat it for muscle gains.
Although collagen is often talked about in powder and pill form, this protein is plentiful in any meat-eaters diet. Because collagen is concentrated in connective tissue, most cuts of meat are a rich source. The rule of thumb is that “tougher” cuts of meat have more collagen, so think like pot roast, brisket, and chuck steak. Other dietary sources of collagen include the skin and bones of fish and other animals. Another familiar source of collagen is gelatin - the star ingredient in childhood jell-o cups or adulthood jell-o shots. Gelatin is a form of collagen made from boiling animal bones, cartilage and skin, and then filtering and cooling the remaining liquid. And if goopy bone juice, or animal meat is not your thing, not to worry. Our bodies can make collagen so long as the right amino acids are available. And for the vast majority of people, it’s something you don’t ever have to think about. So why is it then that collagen supplementation has become so trendy? Well the first answer lies in the mirror.
Over the past few years skincare has been riding an absolute high. Even prior to the pandemic multi-step Korean Beauty skincare routines started to become popular - probably in part because of the flawless faces of Kpop artists who dominate Western airwaves. Then when we were forced to spend all our time inside and work from home, two things happened. First, self-care edged into our daily routines and secondly, video meetings forced us to stare at our faces all day every day. The result? An increased investment in our skin. Collagen makes up around 80% of the dry weight of skin and is responsible for its structural integrity - including its elasticity. Unfortunately, starting in our mid-20s our body slows its production of collagen and we begin to lose around 1% every year. The usual tightly organized network of collagen fibers just start to become disorganized and we end up with wrinkles and saggy-looking skin.
Considering the loss of collagen is the root cause for aging skin, the concept of supplementing our body with more of this protein makes sense. But the nutricosmetics industry is fraught with bias, and the reality is that skin creams and serums with added collagen are simply useless. The number one reason for this is because collagen is found in the deepest layers of our skin - completely inaccessible to any topical application. Now one potential way around this is to take an oral collagen supplement, and a few small studies have shown that this may improve skin elasticity. But big buyer beware because many of these studies are funded by companies that make the supplement. So despite the scientific looking commercials from Olay, you know the ones with 3D renderings of DNA floating around the screen, there’s just not enough evidence to confidently say any added collagen will make you wrinkle-free.
Another area where you see a lot of collagen buzz is within fitness and sports. Musculoskeletal injuries, which include sprains, strains, muscle pulls, and torn ligaments and tendons, make up more than half of all injuries in athletics. So preventing and efficiently healing them is incredibly lucrative and important. Collagen is a particularly key material in many of these so-called “soft-tissues” - especially tendons and ligaments. It’s well known that exercises which increase collagen synthesis, strengthen these tissues and make them less prone to injury. So it’s reasonable to think that nutritional supplementation of collagen could also help.
Research is still in its infancy here but the results do look promising. Multiple small trials have been conducted on collagen supplements and injury recovery in athletes, particularly in addressing knee and heel issues. And the results show that supplementation tend to help reduce pain. But, there’s still just not enough evidence to confidently recommend collagen supplementation for injury prevention or tissue repair.
In a similar vein, collagen supplementation is also being investigated for use in joint health - particularly osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis, or OA, is a type of arthritis which involves the destruction of cartilage found in joints. Cartilage covers the ends of bones, helping to to create a cushiony and low-friction environment. When you have reduced cartilage, your joints become stiff, swollen and painful to use. Current treatments for OA include pain relieving drugs, but they ultimately don’t resolve the core problem. Now because collagen is one of the main proteins in cartilage, scientists are hopeful that supplementation could treat the underlying cause of OA.
But just like with athletic injuries, there’s not enough research to prove collagen is effective in resolving OA. Many small studies have shown that supplementation can help with joint pain, but there seems to be limited effects on improving joint function. Even large organizations like the Arthritis Foundation in the US, don’t have an official position on collagen, and instead focus their nutritional recommendations on supplements like glucosamine and chondroitin - molecules also found in cartilage.
Ok, so we’re 0/3 when it comes to collagen’s use in helping treat or prevent various health and wellness issues. But before we proclaim it as the worst draft pick in the 2022 supplement pageant, let’s dig into the science behind why it hasn’t been keeping up with its promises.
One core thing to understand is that our body does not absorb whole collagen. Just like with any protein we consume, it has to be broken down into amino acids before it can be absorbed and used by the body. Some supplements get around this biological barrier by producing hydrolyzed collagen, also known as collagen peptides, which are smaller bits and pieces of collagen. These shorter chains of amino acids are more easily absorbed and theoretically serve as building blocks for collagen. But one massive biological problem still remains: our body views every amino acid, whether it’s in a small chain or being a strong independent molecule, as fair game for any protein in need. Our body contains thousands of different types of protein and they all require amino acids for repair and growth. Whenever a protein is digested, our body distributes the amino acids to a bunch of different proteins. And there’s simply no way to tag a collagen supplement, as something that can only be used to support collagen growth. Let alone, collagen growth in a specific area of our body. And this is the reason why collagen supplementation hasn’t shown any significant results yet. Which is why many health experts don’t recommend its use - it’s just not worth the price point or hassle. But what about supporting collagen production through your diet?
If you don’t need supplements should you focus on eating it? Bone broth
From a dietary perspective, your body will treat any collagen you consume the same. And while almost no research has focused on the effects of a high collagen diet, eating in a way that supports collagen production can be really healthy, so it’s a win:win if you do it right. As I said earlier, animal meat and skin are great sources of whole collagen, but eggs, dairy, legumes, beans and soy also contain all the amino acids necessary for making collagen.
And if you really want to ensure your body has all the supplies necessary to produce and maintain collagen, you’ll also have to consume two micronutrients - Vitamin C and Zinc. Both of these act as co-factors, which can be thought of as “helper molecules” for the enzymes that produce collagen. Vitamin C is found in plenty of fruits and veggies, including berries, citrus fruits, broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers and tomatoes. And Zinc is prominent in shellfish, legumes, meat, nuts, seeds and whole grains. So if you eat a balanced diet filled with protein, be it from animals or plants, fruits, veggies, legumes, nuts and whole grains, you’ll have all the ingredients necessary for your body to make collagen.
Of course, I’m always going to hype a well-balanced and diverse diet, but if you want to experiment with a more concentrated collagen-filled food you can also try your hand at bone broth. Although it’s become trendy in the West thanks to many celebrity enthusiasts, bone broth has been consumed for centuries, and is seen as a healing liquid in many traditional medicines. To make it you simply simmer animal or fish bones for a long period of time - usually more than 12 hours. This process slowly draws collagen, and some minerals, out of the animal parts. It honestly sounds like a pretty soothing food, like the OG chicken soup, and the fact that it utilizes every last bit of an animal is appreciated. But, it’s also become way over hyped in pop culture, especially as an aging antidote. Big claims for a drink with zero science backing it up. But if you want to try out bone broth, go right ahead, just keep your expectations of eternal life in check.
Collagen is an incredibly important protein for our overall health and body function. But with research across skin, sports, and joint health in its infancy, it’s also nutrient with too much publicity for what it actually does. Don’t get me wrong, there’s definitely a lot of promise on the horizon, but for now, there’s not a good enough reason to buy into the supplement craze. That said, many experts seem to be pretty relaxed with people wanting to consume more collagen because there aren’t many known negative repercussions. But know that adding a supplement on top of a poor diet and lifestyle is useless, so make sure your foundation is in good shape first. Speaking of foundation, if your primary collagen concern is related to obtaining a glowing, wrinkle-free face, then the best way to support your skin’s collagen is by getting good sleep, not smoking, and wearing sunscreen. So take that supplement coin and spend it on some SPF instead.
That’s been the bite for today. Stay hungry.